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Ethically , are robotics a good idea ? Who knows. People do need good jobs, or even just jobs, and it doesn't seem more robots are going to help with that.

by petra 5y ago

bsenftner 5y ago
Robots are a fantastic idea. It's the journalists telling society everyone will be out of work that is the source of society stress - that and the billionaires driving capitalism into the dirt while ignorantly driving the ignorant society they engineered for their benefit to a violent revolution that will destroy them and their children.
ModernMech 5y ago
Depends on the robot really. Robots that help the elderly manage their dementia and loneliness? Great. Robots that help wheelchair bound people navigate? Great. Robots that help clean up nuclear disasters? Great. What would not be great is if we just allow a handful of people to own all the robots in the world (and their output), just as we allow a handful of people to own all the capital producing equipment in the world. Then we're just where we are today, but even worse off. This is actually my nightmare, and partly why I don't do much robotics anymore these days... Remember, people only need jobs because we as a society have decided if they don't have jobs, we will allow them to go hungry and suffer exposure of the elements due to homelessness. This is perhaps necessary when there's so much work to be done you want people working instead of idle and comfortable. But if the robots can do all the work, then why do people need jobs? Only if the benefits of that work accrue to a handful of people rather that society as a whole.
- germandiago 5y ago
  If robots are expensive at first, some people will have them first. This is a basic law of economy (scarcity). It is interesting about peoplr must havr jobs or not. If you do not provide value and someone has to pay those costs with their work, is that fair? Even if we have robots: who maintains them, manufacture, program the AI? You want tha some people work doing that and the rest enjoy a life as good as the ones who work hard and people who benefit from them just be privileged? Something does not match well here. You do your contribution and find a place in society. If your contribution is not great, I do not find a reason to be in exactlythe same position as others. Yes you have the right to live and so on. But do not expect a Ferrari at your door and a luxury life.
Atreiden 5y ago
This is the argument for UBI. Robots will displace human workers. They already are. We can either capitalize on all of this human capital by offering basic income, or we can let income + wealth inequality slowly destroy society by rendering the bottom X% (where X is modeled by an exponentially increasing function) destitute.
- germandiago 5y ago
  wealth inequality is natural by definition, whether you like it or not. And imposing others share the fruit of their value, unethical.
  - yifanl 5y ago
    What percentage of their value do you think the average worker currently makes (Pick any specific occupation you'd like, if this is too vague)? If its less than 100%, how would you propose they petition to increase it to be 100%, as ethics would dictate?
    - germandiago 5y ago
      You are telling me your employer must give you 100% of the profit? What about: - building the business - maintaining it healthy (this can incur additional expenses at unpredictable times) - the jobs it generates (that never mind, they are bad in your mind I suppose or they just do it to earn money! They do... but you also pick the job in the first place to make money!) - the expenses they have to pay in case of firing someone if it does not produce. - social security they pay and contribute for everyone (at least in the spanish system) Do you find ethical to just ask for more money go and leave them bankrupt, without any regard of how they coud survive, when you just went pick up a position when much of that business was built? Really? I find it unethical also. Get your best deal, with your employer, they will give you what they think they can or want, but by mutual contract. If you do not like it, go move to the next chance, it is not anyone's fault. Nothing bad into it. It is how you do in life: you choose what you drink (and what you do not!), who you join, where you go... nothing different here.

Ethically , are robotics a good idea ? Who knows. People do need good jobs, or even just jobs, and it doesn't seem more robots are going to help with that.

by petra 5y ago

Ethically , are robotics a good idea ? Who knows. People do need good jobs, or even just jobs, and it doesn't seem more robots are going to help with that.

bsenftner 5y ago

Robots are a fantastic idea. It's the journalists telling society everyone will be out of work that is the source of society stress - that and the billionaires driving capitalism into the dirt while ignorantly driving the ignorant society they engineered for their benefit to a violent revolution that will destroy them and their children.

ModernMech 5y ago

Depends on the robot really. Robots that help the elderly manage their dementia and loneliness? Great. Robots that help wheelchair bound people navigate? Great. Robots that help clean up nuclear disasters? Great. What would not be great is if we just allow a handful of people to own all the robots in the world (and their output), just as we allow a handful of people to own all the capital producing equipment in the world. Then we're just where we are today, but even worse off. This is actually my nightmare, and partly why I don't do much robotics anymore these days... Remember, people only need jobs because we as a society have decided if they don't have jobs, we will allow them to go hungry and suffer exposure of the elements due to homelessness. This is perhaps necessary when there's so much work to be done you want people working instead of idle and comfortable. But if the robots can do all the work, then why do people need jobs? Only if the benefits of that work accrue to a handful of people rather that society as a whole.

germandiago 5y ago
If robots are expensive at first, some people will have them first. This is a basic law of economy (scarcity). It is interesting about peoplr must havr jobs or not. If you do not provide value and someone has to pay those costs with their work, is that fair? Even if we have robots: who maintains them, manufacture, program the AI? You want tha some people work doing that and the rest enjoy a life as good as the ones who work hard and people who benefit from them just be privileged? Something does not match well here. You do your contribution and find a place in society. If your contribution is not great, I do not find a reason to be in exactlythe same position as others. Yes you have the right to live and so on. But do not expect a Ferrari at your door and a luxury life.

Atreiden 5y ago

This is the argument for UBI. Robots will displace human workers. They already are. We can either capitalize on all of this human capital by offering basic income, or we can let income + wealth inequality slowly destroy society by rendering the bottom X% (where X is modeled by an exponentially increasing function) destitute.

germandiago 5y ago
wealth inequality is natural by definition, whether you like it or not. And imposing others share the fruit of their value, unethical.
- yifanl 5y ago
  What percentage of their value do you think the average worker currently makes (Pick any specific occupation you'd like, if this is too vague)? If its less than 100%, how would you propose they petition to increase it to be 100%, as ethics would dictate?
  - germandiago 5y ago
    You are telling me your employer must give you 100% of the profit? What about: - building the business - maintaining it healthy (this can incur additional expenses at unpredictable times) - the jobs it generates (that never mind, they are bad in your mind I suppose or they just do it to earn money! They do... but you also pick the job in the first place to make money!) - the expenses they have to pay in case of firing someone if it does not produce. - social security they pay and contribute for everyone (at least in the spanish system) Do you find ethical to just ask for more money go and leave them bankrupt, without any regard of how they coud survive, when you just went pick up a position when much of that business was built? Really? I find it unethical also. Get your best deal, with your employer, they will give you what they think they can or want, but by mutual contract. If you do not like it, go move to the next chance, it is not anyone's fault. Nothing bad into it. It is how you do in life: you choose what you drink (and what you do not!), who you join, where you go... nothing different here.